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CHAPTER 3
CARINGFOR YOUR PRINTER As any good mechanic will tell you, dust and heat are the biggest enemies of
every mechanism. And your printer is no exception. The best maintenance is pre-
ventive maintenance, so the first step in keeping your printer healthy and happy is
to make sure it’s in a clean, dust-free location. The range of temperature should be
comfortable for both you and your computer/printer system. (Please refer to Chapter
1 for more tips on locating your printer.)
Subjects we’ll cover in Chapter 3 include
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•Cleaning the printer;
•Changing the ribbon;
•Replacing the print head.
CLEANING THE PRINTER
Another important rule for keeping your printer young and healthy is to clean it
regularly
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inside and out. Just use a damp towel every week or so (you can
moisten the towel with alcohol for stubborn dirt, but be careful not to get any
alcohol on the printer mechanism).
Use a soft brush to remove dust and lint from inside the printer, but be very
careful not to bend or injure any electronic parts or wiring. It doesn’t take much to
do expenseve damage, so don’t fuss where you’re not supposed to
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besides peri-
odic cleaning, the only other maintenance you’ll have to do will be changing the
ribbon cartridge, or the print head.